Be Careful What You Wish For
by Itachilova101
Summary: When Sakura went on a B-ranked mission, she never expected to end up the master to a seemingly senile old lady who offers her three wishes. But, is this old lady as senile as Sakura thinks? EDITED
1. Prologue

A/N: Well, here's my newest story... This was inspired by one of my reviewers during, "To Turn Back Time" who had said that they wish they would be able to see Konoha if the Uchiha Massacre never happened... So, here it is!

* * *

"It's a large gray building," the haggard old lady said. "The windows are smashed in and the paint is peeling, but that goes for the rest of the town, really."

The pink-haired shinobi nodded in understanding. "What exactly am I looking for? It's kind of hard to find something that I don't know of."

"A book." The words escaped the elder's chapped lips in almost a whisper, as if it was a secret.

"A book?" asked the shinobi, raising an incredulous brow. "I thought you said this was a B-rank or higher?"

"Well, it's not any ordinary book," the elder explained. "It's special."

"Okay," replied the shinobi with a hint of skepticism, "Do you know where the book is in the building?"

"Once you get inside the building, turn to your right," the old lady told her. "There'll be a door leading to a stairwell. Go up the stairs until you get to the third floor. The book is on that floor."

The kunoichi nodded and took her leave into the village that was once Sound.

The village seemed like a war-zone; all the buildings either destroyed or vandalized beyond the point one could barely tell what color the building had been, the streets littered with potholes two feet or deeper. She would have thought she was in a ghost town if it weren't for the very faint signatures of chakra she came upon every once in a while.

When she came upon the several-story building that the old lady had described, she looked at it with an air of disgust. The building had a huge chunk taken out of it, as if somebody had tried to bomb it (which was probably the case) and the rest of the building seemed fairly intact, besides the very offensive pictures in spray paint and a few choice curse words.

She headed toward the building and entered it with no hesitation. As soon as she took a step inside, she was hit with the putrid smell of mud, dust, mildew, and the unmistakable aroma of decaying bodies.

She placed a hand over her mouth in a feeble attempt to filter out the suffocating odour and walked to the stairwell as she'd been instructed. She tensed feeling the creaking of the stair as she first placed her foot on it. It caused the rats that seemed to be hiding under the stairs to stir and she shuddered.

_Filthy rodents... _

She pushed away any disgust he had from the building and the rodents and ascended the stairs as quickly as she could so as not to break one of them. Once she got to the third floor, she had to strain her eyes to see her hand in front of her face.

She inspected the floor, seeing no trace of a book (no trace of anything, actually) until she felt her sandaled foot kick something and the sound of that something sliding across the floor. She got to her hands and knees, fully aware that she was getting filthy, and used her hands to find whatever it was she'd kicked.

When her hand touched something, she inspected it with her fingers, finding what felt like paper.

_Looks like I found what I came for..._

She got back to her feet and found her way to the door, the book in hand. She ran down the stairs, ignoring the loud complaints they made as she descended them. She rushed out the door and placed her hands on her knees as she gasped for breath, relishing the sweet, wonderful smell of fresh, unused oxygen.

She looked at the book in her hand with a sort of puzzlement. What was so important about it? It was just a black leather-back book, all aged and weather-beaten, yellowed pages inside, most of them covered with words of a foreign language. Couldn't she have just as easily replaced the book at a book store? It was only a book and would probably cost half of what a B-ranked mission went for nowadays.

Shrugging off her curiosity, she dusted off her dusty palms and knees and headed back to the gates where her client was waiting.

When she handed the book to the old lady, she flipped through the pages with a sort of gratification in her aged eyes. "You've done admirably," the old lady told her with a warm smile, taking her eyes from the book. "And now, in return, I will bestow upon you a gift."

"Oh, you don't have t—"

"But I will," she interjected. "I am but a humble servant to you now and I will give you three wishes."

The kunoichi was taken aback by the absurdity of what she'd just said. "A wish?" she asked, raising a brow, "You mean like a Genie sort of thing?"

"Oh, no," the old woman corrected. "See, I was granted this power long ago, by this book. I write in it what I want and it will come true."

"Uh-huh," the shinobi replied dryly.

"I will write three of your wishes in this book for you and they will come true," the shinobi finalized. "However, there are some rules to this book."

"And, what are they?" asked the shinobi, trying to humour the old lady.

"Well, once a wish is written in this book, it will come true within five minutes, but once the wish comes true, a wish cannot be written in the book for another two weeks."

"So, you're planning on lending this book to me for a month and a half?"

"No, I will come before you as soon as you speak my name: Kumiko," corrected the elder.

"Okay," the shinobi said with a nod. "I guess I'll call you when I have a wish then."

The old lady nodded. "You would probably like to head back to your home village, but, first... may I know the name of my master?"

"Sakura," answered the kunoichi. "Haruno Sakura."

* * *

A/N: Yes, it's short, but I'm going to try and make the next chapters longer! n.n I hope you like it! X3


	2. A Wasted Wish

A/N: Yay! Next chapter! X3 Thank you for all the warm fuzzies you all gave me! It makes me feel all... well, warm and fuzzy inside! n.n

* * *

Once Sakura made it to her home village of Konoha, she checked in with the Chuunin on patrol duty at the gates and headed straight home. She had been told to head straight to Tsunade's office, but she felt that a shower was much more important than handing in a stupid report on finding a book for a senile old lady.

She hit the shower, shutting her eyes as the hot water ran down her face.

_A wish-granting book... _the thought of it caused her to laugh. As if a book could do such a thing. Then, a thought popped into her mind. If the book really did work, she could wish for Sasuke to come back home, she could wish for the Uchiha Massacre to be nothing but nonexistent and, if her plans still didn't work, she could easily use her last wish to make Sasuke fall in love with her.

_Like it would actually work, _she told herself. _It's not possible. That old lady must've had a screw loose. But then again... _

Sakura stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself and one around her head.

Well, there was really one way to find out whether Kumiko's story was true or not. "Kumiko," she said to the empty room. "Kumiko, I have a wish."

A few moments later, Kumiko appeared in the middle of Sakura's room. "Hello, Sakura-sama," Kumiko greeted, bowing respectfully.

"Please, just call me Sakura," she told Kumiko.

"As you wish, Sakura. May I ask what you would like to wish for?"

"I wish that Sasuke-kun will come back to Konoha," she told Kumiko.

The elder took out the book and a feather-quill pen and wrote the wish down in the book. "So it is written, so it shall be," Kumiko said and she disappeared.

Sakura felt almost euphoric. If the book really worked, Sasuke would be home any moment! She rushed to get dressed and ran toward Tsunade's office to turn in her report.

"About time," Tsunade mumbled, taking the report from Sakura's hands.

Sakura fidgeted in her seat as Tsunade skimmed her eyes over the page, causing the Hokage to look up at her with impatience.

"Why do you seem so restless?"

"I-I don't know," lied Sakura. "I guess I just can't wait to get home and sleep."

Tsunade grunted in response and went back to skimming. "Well, everything seems to be in order, so—" The phone rang. Tsunade picked up the phone and asked, "Yeah? Who is it?" There was a short silence before Tsunade's face blanched as she dropped the phone and ran out of the room, the report all but forgotten on her desk.

_It worked, _Sakura thought, standing so abruptly her chair tipped over and ran out of the room, heading for the border's gates. _He's back! He's actually back! I'll be able to see Sasuke-kun again! _

When she got to the border, however, she saw a group of Jounin trying to detain some guy with spastic hair and green eyes. Once the men had a good hold on him, Tsunade asked, "You're him, aren't you? You're Kun Sasuke?"

"What?" Sakura breathed. "But, I asked for—" Then, it dawned on her. She hadn't asked for her Sasuke-kun, the book thought she'd asked for Kun Sasuke, one of the most infamous missing-nin of Konoha, right up there with Uchiha Itachi.

She sighed and headed back to her apartment, disappointed. Sasuke wasn't back...

"Kumiko!" Sakura yelled, slamming the door to her house shut.

Kumiko appeared and asked, "I trust your wish came true?"

"Not exactly," Sakura answered. "I worded my wish wrong and it didn't turn out the way I would have hoped. I was wondering if there was a way to get rid of that wish and replace it with another one?"

"I'm sorry, but that's not possible," Kumiko answered with a hint of regret. "See, all wishes are final and, as I said, another wish cannot be put into this book for two weeks."

"Why not?" asked Sakura. "There must be a way around it."

Kumiko took out the book and tossed it to Sakura. She caught it with ease and tried to open it, but failed. It was as if there was some lock on it, the book would not open. "There is no way around it, dear," Kumiko told her. "The book cannot be opened for another fourteen days. I apologize."

Sakura nodded, angry that she'd gotten her hopes up.

"Well, you still have two wishes," Kumiko told her. "I'm sure you can get whoever you wanted back with your next wish."

Sakura nodded again. But, two weeks suddenly felt so long.

"If you have any other questions, or if you have another wish in two weeks, you know how to reach me."

Once again, Sakura nodded. Kumiko disappeared and Sakura walked over to her bedside and fell onto her bed with an exaggerated sigh. _Well, the book must work... but will he stay if I wish him back?_

* * *

Sakura had felt the two weeks would go by slowly and, of course, life wasn't really one to disappoint.

It had been two days since Kun Sasuke had been captured and brought into captivity and, to Sakura's ever-growing fortune; Tsunade had put her in charge of interrogating the missing-nin. Well, after Ibiki was through with him, of course.

Sakura hated interrogating, especially when she had to work with Morino Ibiki. He tended to get carried away and wouldn't just make the interrogated confess, he'd do nothing short of breaking their brain. The person would go crazy and either begged for death or found some way of getting the job done themselves.

"Hi," Sakura greeted as she entered Sasuke's cell. "I'll be asking you some questions."

"What happened to the ugly one with the scars?"

"I'm replacing him," she answered. "Now, please tell me your name?"

"Hey, you're kind of cute," commented the red-head. "Is pink your natural hair color, 'cause it's really working for me."

"Your name," she said a little more sternly.

"I'd assume you'd know my name, considering you're interrogating me."

"Just say it," she commanded through clenched teeth.

"Kun Sasuke," answered Sasuke with a martyred sigh. "You know, it's no fun teasing when you don't tease back."

Ignoring his comments again, she asked, "And why did you abandon Konoha?"

"Why do almost all Konoha missing-nin leave?" he asked rhetorically. "We get tired of the wussy, 'Protect the ones you love' bullshit. We want power and we want to gain it no matter the cost."

"So, you dislike the village's sense of morality?"

"You got it, Pinky."

"Don't call me Pinky," she commanded. "When—"

"What would you like me to call you then?" asked Sasuke. "I don't even know your name."

"When did you abandon the village?"

"Five years ago," he answered. "So, what is your name?"

"What have you done since you abandoned the village?"

"You know, I have been polite and answered your questions; can't I expect the same in return?"

"My name is Haruno Sakura," she answered. "But you can call me Haruno-san."

"So, Sakura-chan, what makes you want to stay here?"

"I guess for companionship," she answered, deciding to humour the man. "If I leave, where is there for me to go? What is there for me to do if I leave?"

"Ah, a lover," Sasuke said, gesturing toward her. "You stay here for a person you like. Who is it? Come on, you can tell me."

"We are getting too far off track," she told him, trying to keep up her professional exterior. _Now, for the main reason I agreed to this mission._ "Why did you come back?"

He shrugged. "I decided it on a whim. I was in the area and a thought just popped in my mind, 'Hey, I'd love to meet a pink-haired shinobi and just do her right then and there'."

Sakura jerked back a hand and slapped the man hard across the face.

Sasuke looked surprised at first, and then he smirked. "Temper temper. I think I deserve an apology."

Standing from her seat, Sakura left the room, slamming the door shut behind her. _I'll have Ibiki work a little harder._

She hated interrogation...

* * *

A/N: Gaspeh! She wasted a whole wish! Now you see why I chose this title for the story! n.n


	3. The Second Wish

"Kumiko," Sakura called out, writing her report on Kun Sasuke's interrogation.

The old lady appeared and asked, "Yes, Sakura?"

"The two weeks are up, aren't they?" she asked, looking at the clock. It was exactly two weeks and two minutes after the time she'd made the wish (She'd already tried to make the wish, but it was three minutes before the right time).

"That's right."

"Alright, I'm ready to make my next wish then," Sakura told her. Kumiko opened the book and a pen, ready to write Sakura's wish. "I wish for _Uchiha_ _Sasuke_ to come back to Konoha for the rest of his life," she wished, putting emphasis on the name.

Kumiko wrote down the wish and said, "So it is written, so it shall be."

The familiar rush of excitement flooded into Sakura and she smiled happily. "Thank you, Kumiko!" She rushed out of her house and headed for the border, using chakra to speed up her pace. When she reached the border, she saw no sign of Sasuke, but, after a few minutes, she saw a figure in the distance, headed in the village's direction.

Her heart skipped and she narrowed her eyes to see if she could make out who it was. Then, she noticed the person's black hair and her mouth went dry. _It's really him, isn't it?_

"Sakura-san?"

She turned to see Ritsu, one of the village's chuunin (A/N: Yes, he's in yet another one of my stories).

"Oh, hey, Ritsu," she greeted, turning back to the figure approaching the village.

"What're you looking at?" asked the black haired Chuunin.

"I think that person over there is Sasuke-kun," she answered.

"The Uchiha?"

Sakura nodded. Then, the person was close enough for the two to see fairly well and they knew who it was. "S-Sasuke-kun," Sakura breathed. _He's back..._

Sasuke just regarded the two with his eyes.

The shinobi on patrol duty took out a kunai and asked, "What is your business here?"

"Cool your jets," Sasuke said, "I'm from this village."

Sakura flushed at the sight of Sasuke's very-revealing shirt and his cool attitude. It seemed all that had changed was his clothing and age.

"You're a missing-nin," the shinobi said. "You are not allowed in here unless you're taken under arrest."

Sakura piped up, "Ritsu and I will take him in, won't we?"

"Uh—Yeah, sure," stammered Ritsu, rubbing the back of his neck with a flustered air about him.

"Come on, Sasuke-kun," she said, waving him into the village. "I'll take you to Shishou now."

Sasuke entered the village without another word and the three walked through the street in a very tense silence.

_I can't believe he's actually back,_ Sakura thought, biting her lower lip as she sneaked a peek at Sasuke through the corner of her eye. Once they got to Tsunade's office, Sakura knocked on the door, her hands shaking.

"Come," Tsunade said in her usually strict voice.

Sakura opened the door and escorted the two men into the room.

Tsunade looked up from her paperwork indifferently, "What is—" Her words were all but forgotten when she saw Sasuke standing in her office and her jaw practically fell to the floor.

"Shishou—um, Ritsu and I found Sasuke-kun and he wanted to get into the village," Sakura explained.

"Is that so?"

"Orochimaru's dead," Sasuke stated, cutting right to the chase. "He betrayed me," he added. "So, he's dead."

"Well, well, well, looks like Uchiha Sasuke actually wants to return."

"I don't," Sasuke corrected. "If I had half a chance, I'd be out looking for Itachi, but I have no choice but to be here."

"So, you're still a possible flight risk?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Like I said, I have no choice."

"And why is that?"

"Suigetsu, Karin and Juugo turned on me, as well," Sasuke told her. "I have nowhere else to go."

Tsunade scrutinized Sasuke, revealing no emotion or hints as to what she was thinking. "Shizune," she called.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" asked Shizune, running into the room.

"Take Sasuke down to captivity," she commanded, regarding the Uchiha. "I think he could quite possibly be a flight risk. A few weeks with Ibiki will clear everything up. Sakura."

"Shishou?"

"You're no longer in charge of interrogating Kun-san," she told the shinobi. "He's going to be executed anyway. You'll question Sasuke."

At first she was too shocked to speak, but she quickly noticed the sly glint in her Shishou's eye and she couldn't help but smile gratefully. "O-Okay," she stammered. "When do I start?"

"Why don't we do the same as we did with Kun-san? You'll question him right after Ibiki's finished with him."

She nodded and Ritsu and she walked with Shizune and Sasuke down to captivity. When Shizune left, after putting Sasuke into the cell, Ritsu eventually left, but Sakura stayed. She had the key that opened the cell doors, so she knew she could easily leave when she wanted to, but she didn't. "What was it like?" she asked. "Orochimaru must have been terrible to live with."

"You could say that," Sasuke answered.

"Why did you come back, Sasuke-kun?"

"It's just as I said earlier," he told her. "I had no choice."

"Do you plan on staying?"

"What's with all the questions?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

"Sorry," she apologized, looking at her hands in her lap. "I'll be quiet."

Sasuke chuckled and said, "I don't know if I'm staying or not. I've still got to avenge the clan, you know?"

She nodded. "Well, if Shishou thinks you're a flight risk—"

"They're going to lock me up," Sasuke finished for her.

She nodded again.

"Well, like I said, I don't know if I'm staying or not," Sasuke repeated. "Chances are I will. The path toward Itachi isn't very bright at the moment."

"Now, let's hope Shishou will see that, too."

"Shishou?" asked Sasuke, furrowing his brow. "Why do you call her that?"

"Oh, she taught me all that I know about medical jutsu," Sakura answered. "After you left, Naruto and I tried to bring you back from Orochimaru, but we failed miserably. I wanted to find a way to become a little more useful than the petrified log I was and Shishou gave me that chance."

"Petrified log?" Sasuke chuckled at the thought of that. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, I did nothing to help our team, I was extra baggage, like a petrified log does nothing but sit there and does nothing but age and take up space."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Sasuke said with a smirk. "You helped with—um—you gave Kakashi some good advice when Naruto got poisoned during the mission to the Waves."

"Kakashi had already said that."

"Well, um, I don't know."

Sakura giggled. "It's okay; at least I'm not a petrified log anymore."

"Hey, if you're such a hot-shot medic-nin, mind taking a look at this cut on my arm?"

He lifted the sleeve of his very revealing shirt to reveal a large, painful-looking cut starting from the middle of his forearm to his shoulder. It was red and made his arm swell quite a bit. She didn't know how she didn't notice one of his arms was twice the size of his other one. It was, obviously, very infected.

She asked, "How'd you get this?"

"Juugo got angry," he answered. "He's missing a few marbles."

She directed some chakra to her hand and started trying to stave off the already health-threatening infection. She lightly ran her finger up the gouge in the male's arm and she heard him hiss quietly and she pulled away quickly, as though she'd been burned. "I'm sorry," she apologized, expecting to see him glare at her and tell her he hated her, but he only smiled and nodded.

"Can you do anything for it?" he asked, looking at the wound.

"Sure," she answered. "But it'll take time to get out all that infection and, by the looks of it, it's already gone into your bloodstream and I'll have to treat that, as well."

"So, where do we start?"

"We start by getting some hydrogen peroxide and getting the infection out," she answered and stood. "Why don't you come with me? I can't really do much in a prison cell."

"Are we allowed?" he asked, looking around cautiously.

She giggled and answered, "Of course! You're injured and need medical attention!"

He nodded and stood as she led him out of the captivity building. She took him to the infirmary where she took some hydrogen peroxide and dumped half of its contents on the injury. Sasuke hissed and cursed under his breath while Sakura smiled apologetically and dabbed at the now foaming cut with cotton balls.

She then bandaged the wound and told him, "We're going to have to do the same thing every day until all the infection is gone and I'll prescribe you some medication for the infection that seems to have gone into your bloodstream. The swelling in your arm should go down in about a week or two."

He nodded and she took him back to his cell. As soon as they were there, she decided it was time to say goodnight.

"I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow?" he asked, standing before her.

"I-Is that okay?" she stammered. "I mean, if you don't want me to—"

"It's okay, Sakura," he interjected with a chuckle. "I'm not as bastard-ish as I was the last time you saw me."

"Bastard-ish?" repeated Sakura with a giggle. "Is that even a word?"

"Oh, get out of here!" Sasuke yelled with a smirk. "How dare you mock my vocabulary? You were only the biggest brain in Team 7 and you dare to correct me?! Get out of my cell!"

She giggled and replied, "Maybe I will!"

"Good riddance."

She slammed the cell door shut, still giggling, locked it and waved with one hand, holding her stomach with the other.

Sasuke then said, "I look forward to seeing you."

"Me too," Sakura agreed and walked off to her house.


	4. The Key

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! X3

* * *

The next day, Sakura started her interrogating. She found herself much less formal than when she was with other people, laughing with him about every time Sasuke turned Karin down, gasping when he told her stories about his battles and crying when he told her a sad story.

"I never imagined they'd turn on me like they did," he commented, looking deep in thought. "We were Team Hebi; we were going to kill Itachi together."

"Do you miss them?"

"No, not really," he answered. "I guess you just get so used to routine that, once it's gone, it takes some readjustment.

Sakura nodded in understanding.

"You know, it's kind of nice to be back."

Sakura smiled and said, "Well, it's great having you back."

Sasuke stared into her eyes and she found she could not look away, butterflies fluttering in her belly at the sight of the Uchiha. She cleared her throat and looked back to the notes she'd been writing on the interrogation. "So, um, what is it that you want to do now that you're back?"

"I'm kind of torn in two different directions on that," he answered, finally looking away from her. "I'd committed my life to killing my brother, but I don't think I should leave. It feels so great being home... Though, it'd be better if I wasn't in jail."

"Yeah, I can imagine." She looked at the clock to see that she'd been there for almost two hours. "I've got to take you to the infirmary anyway, so do you want to go for a walk?"

Sasuke nodded and followed Sakura out of the captivity building where she pointed to different places on their way to the infirmary.

"See? That's where I live." she said, pointing to an apartment. "I've been living there ever since I turned sixteen."

Sasuke was about to say something, but was cut short by somebody saying, "Hey Sakura—" They turned to see a very stunned Naruto, staring at Sasuke.

"Oh, Naruto, Sasuke-kun's back," Sakura said, trying to hide her apprehension. The last time she'd seen these two together, things hadn't gone so well. She looked from Sasuke to Naruto, wondering what was going on in their minds at that moment.

Finally, Sasuke walked over to Naruto and pulled him into a hug. It wasn't one of those big, sappy, emotional ones; it was a man's hug. The kind where it's pretty much a necessity to slap the other's back with all your might.

All of her worry vanished as she watched the two walk back to her, smiling at each other. "I-I have to take him to the infirmary, he hurt his arm," Sakura explained. "Would you mind buying him a set of clothes so he doesn't have to wear Orochimaru's pervy outfit?"

Naruto nodded and left while Sakura and Sasuke headed toward the infirmary. When they got into the building, Sakura took the bandages from Sasuke's arm to find that the wound was already starting to look a little better. She poured some more hydrogen peroxide over his wound and got the same reaction out of him as before. "You took your medication last night?" she asked.

He nodded and she could see he was trying his hardest to bite back any curse words.

Naruto came back a little while later with some clothes and said, "I hope they fit. I sort of guessed the sizes."

Sakura finished bandaging the arm and let Sasuke go into the other room to change into the clothes. He came back with the shirt fitting loosely on him and holding the pants up to his waist. "They're kind of big," he commented.

"Well, just in case, I thought I'd bring this," Naruto stated, taking out a belt and handing it to the Uchiha.

Sasuke put on the belt and looked down at himself to find he was wearing very bright, tie-dyed clothes. "I think I've gone into the hippie-age."

Sakura giggled and Naruto explained with a shrug, "I thought they'd look good on you."

"Why do I have the feeling this is my punishment for nearly killing you?" Sasuke queried with a playful smirked.

Naruto smirked in return but didn't deny the accusation.

"I have to take Sasuke-kun back to the jail," Sakura stated. "Thank you, Naruto."

"Anytime, Sakura-chan! Oh, hey, Sasuke-teme, welcome back."

Sasuke replied, "It's great to be back." and left with Sakura to go back to his cell.

When they got there, Sakura said, "I should probably get going."

Sasuke nodded. "Before you go..."

She looked at him quizzically, wondering what he was thinking behind those onyx orbs of his. He gently placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. He gently touched his lips to hers and she felt as though all time had stopped.

As he pulled away, she didn't feel him take her spare key to the jail cell from her pocket.

"I missed you, Sakura."

"I missed you, too, Sasuke."

And with that, Sakura stumbled out of the room, unable to believe that _the _Uchiha Sasuke had kissed _her_. She left behind a very unhappy Sasuke, staring at the key in his hand with both satisfaction for being able to carry out his plan and guilt for tricking the only girl he had ever cared for.

* * *

A/N: Ooh, what's he gonna do? o.o


	5. The Final Wish

A/N: Sorry for leaving you hanging on a cliff! So, here's another chapter for you! Enjoy!

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit," cursed Sakura, searching her house for the spare key to Sasuke's cell. Ever since she'd come home from the building, it had been nowhere to be found. She sing-songed, "Shishou's going to kill me."

She turned to go into the other room and nearly crashed into Kumiko. "Are you ready to make your third and final wish?"

"No, not yet," she answered with a sigh as she rushed into the other room.

"Why don't you wish to find the key you're looking for?"

"Because, I'd rather use the wish for something a little more meaningful."

"Like something to do with this Uchiha Sasuke character?"

"Exactly."

Then, she heard the phone ring and she picked it up. "Sakura, I need to talk to you," Tsunade said on the other end. "Can you come by my office?"

"Yeah, sure," answered Sakura, hanging up the phone. "I guess I'll have to go back to looking for the key when I get back."

* * *

"Sakura, I am going to tell you this now," Tsunade said, looking very serious... too serious. "I'm telling you this because I know you still care for Sasuke and I know this will affect both you and Naruto the most. I've come upon a verdict on what I'm planning on doing with Sasuke."

"Really?" Sakura asked, leaning forward with interest. "You'll be releasing him, right?"

Tsunade shut her eyes and shook her head in the negative. "No, I won't be."

Sakura's expectant smile fell and her brow furrowed in confusion. "What? Why? Hasn't he been doing well?"

"Yes, he has," she answered, lacing her fingers together. "That's exactly the problem. He's been doing too well. Knowing Sasuke, this is far too out of character for him and I have very little reason to trust him."

"You can't just leave him locked up forever!"

Tsunade looked away, a regretful look on her eyes.

"What?" asked Sakura, standing and placing her hands on Tsunade's desk, "What's with that look, Shishou?"

"He's not going to be locked up forever," answered the Hokage, her voice barely over a whisper.

Sakura stood up to her full height and took a step back, nearly tripping over the chair she'd been sitting in. "W-What?"

"He's scheduled for execution three days from now," Tsunade stated sadly. "I'm sorry, Sakura, but it's for the village's sake that we go through with this."

"No," Sakura whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "You can't do that! You can't! He came back to me! You can't take him away now!"

"Sakura, calm down and we'll talk about this," Tsunade said calmly.

Sakura gave her shishou the dirtiest look she could manage and stormed off, slamming the door shut behind herself. She headed for the building where Sasuke was staying in and found him out of his cell, smirking. When he spotted her, his smile fell and was replaced with a hurt look.

"Sakura..." he whispered.

"W-What are you doing out of your cell?" she asked, wiping a tear from her face.

"Uh—I—"

Then, she noticed the spare key in the Uchiha's hand and she knew exactly what he was doing out of the cell. "You're leaving," she said, tears welling in her eyes once again. "Shishou was right, after all, wasn't she?"

"I have no other choice," he answered, still looking hurt. "I have to kill Itachi."

"It was all a lie?" she asked. "You kissing me last night? You acting so nice to me, saying you missed me?"

"No," he answered, taking a step forward. "It wasn't a lie. I really did miss you and I do have feelings for you, but—"

"But what?" she asked through clenched teeth. "But you don't care enough to stay here with me?"

"It's complicated," he answered, looking away. "But..." She waited for him to go on. "I have no intention of leaving without asking you to come with me."

Sakura was taken aback and was about to say she would go, but stopped herself. This was a big decision, one far too large to decide on a whim. She heard somebody outside the door and she began to panic. "Go," she commanded.

Sasuke's eyes widened and he took a step forward, as if to ask her one more time.

"Just go!" she whispered, choking back a sob. "Please, just go."

He took her in his arms and kissed her deeply, telling her, "I'll be back for you." And, with those final words, he disappeared just as the door swung open to reveal Tsunade.

"Sakura, what did you do!" she yelled, running into Sasuke's cell as though to be sure he was really gone.

"You won't be able to come back for me," Sakura whispered, ignoring her furious shishou as she heard the sound of metal clashing with metal and Sasuke's blood-curdling scream. "Because my wish came true... you're going to stay in Konoha for the rest of your life."

* * *

Sakura was in _big_ trouble. Not only was she locked up indefinitely, she'd lost Sasuke _again_. And, this time, she'd lost him forever. She was in the same cell Sasuke had been in and she could smell his faint scent on the bed linen. She lay on her stomach, with her face buried in the bed, crying as she cherished her love's scent with every breath she inhaled.

She imagined herself being held by him, being able to smell his sweet, sweet scent while he kissed her. Then, she remembered she had one last wish. "Kumiko," she called, her voice muffled by the bed.

Kumiko appeared and looked around the cell with pity. "I take it you wish you could escape?"

Sakura finally lifted her head from the bed, ignoring the wet spot on the bed from her sobbing. "No," she answered, sniffling. "I wish that the Uchiha massacre never happened. I won't need a wish for Sasuke-kun to fall in love with me, I made him like me once, and I can do it again."

Kumiko nodded and wrote the wish in the book. Then, Sakura went unconscious as she heard a little boy's voice calling her name.

* * *

A/N: Ah, poor Saku-chan! T.T :Turns away to hide smirk:


	6. Awakening

A/N: XD

* * *

"Sakura! Sakura!" Sakura awoke to see a little boy grinning excitedly at her. "Wake up, sleepy head!" exclaimed the boy.

At first, Sakura thought that Sasuke had a mini-clone, but then she remembered the wish she'd made in the jail cell and she smiled, sitting up. "Hi," she greeted, wondering if this was Sasuke's son or something.

"Auntie Sakura," the boy yelled with a giggle. "Papa and Mama are here!"

Sakura's brow furrowed and she decided he was Sasuke's brother. He took her hand and led her into the other room and ran to Sasuke, yelling, "Papa! Auntie Sakura is awake!"

"I see, Junior, you don't need to yell," chuckled Sasuke and Sakura's smile fell.

She was his aunt and Sasuke was his father. That would make her his sister. How could that be?

"You certainly slept in today, Sakura," commented Sasuke.

"She had a long mission," somebody hollered from the other room.

_That voice... Why is it so familiar?_

Then, in walked Uchiha Itachi and she was taken aback. Well, it was obvious that, if she was Sasuke's sister, she was Itachi's, too. Then, he draped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. She took it as brotherly love and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"You know, you two were always the perfect couple," Ino stated, taking the little boy into her lap and Sakura couldn't help but scowl.

"She's right," Sasuke commented and she just felt hurt and confused.

Itachi agreed and gave her a light tap on the rear as he sat down. Sakura now felt totally shocked, confused, angry and violated. What was going on!

"Sakura," Itachi pulled her out of her thoughts. "Wouldn't it be more comfortable to sit down?"

She nodded dumbly and looked around the room. She chose a chair on the opposite side of the room from Itachi and sat in it, tense. Itachi looked at her oddly, but then looked to Ino as she stared to speak.

"Remember the dance after the Jounin exams?" asked the blond with a large smile. "The three of us passed the exams together and went together, Itachi came _of course_." And when Ino turned a smile at Sakura, she could only blush. "Oh, Sakura got so drunk!"

Itachi nodded with a smirk and said, "I remember that. I ended up carrying her home. Oh, her dad could not stop scowling at me. It was like... how Sakura is glaring at me right now." The three of them, looked to her and she chuckled sheepishly, still utterly confused.

_Am I dating Itachi?_ She tried to look normal which was very hard because she felt entirely _unnormal_. She smiled and was about to say she needed to go to bed for a little while longer when the door opened in the other room.

"Has the party started without us?" asked a voice that sounded like her mother and in walk four people; two who she knew were her parents, the other two she had no idea of who they were.

"Hello, Darling," greeted her mother, giving her a light kiss on the forehead before sitting down.

_Well, at least _some_ people here are the same. _

Her father took her hand and led her to the couch where Itachi was sitting and sat her there, taking her spot.

"I'd rather you sit beside the Uchiha prodigy than I," he commented with a chuckle.

"Thanks, Dad," replied Itachi dryly, smirking.

The other lady hugged everybody and the other male shook hands with everybody.

_Talk about opposites attracting..._

"Now, for the reason for the party," Ino said, "Happy birthday, Sakura!"

Everybody clapped and cheered while Itachi kissed her on the cheek. Then, in came Naruto and Hinata, holding a cake with two candles in the shape of "2"s on it. They set it on the table and everybody started singing the birthday song.

The rest of the party was spent with everybody swapping stories (well, except for Sakura who had no stories to swap) and laughing about all the fun times they all had together. Most of the time, Sakura stared at the hand Itachi had placed on her thigh and the random kisses he'd place on her head or her cheek, sometimes even on her lips!

Her first kiss! Or was it? She didn't know anymore. How far had they actually gone?

When everybody, besides Itachi and she, decided to leave, Itachi stretched and stood, taking some of the dishes into the kitchen, Sakura following with the rest. As she placed the dishes into the sink, she felt Itachi's strong arms wrap around her petite waist and his lips on her shoulder and she jumped, pulling away.

Itachi looked hurt. "First you have to be forced to sit beside me, you don't kiss me back and now you won't let me hug you. What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing," she stammered defensively. "I think I'm just tired."

He nodded with a smirk and took her to the bedroom she'd woken up in.

He started to undress and she covered her eyes. "What're you _doing_!"

"Getting ready for bed?"

"Oh, uh, right!" she exclaimed, starting to rush out of the bedroom. "I think I'm going to sleep on the couch. Good night!" And she ran to the couch and asked herself, "What have I gotten myself into?"

* * *

A/N: What _has_ she gotten herself into?


	7. If Only It Was Sasuke

A/N: Well, now we can see what she's gotten herself into!

* * *

"I-Itachi?" she stammered while the two sat on the couch together. "I know this is going to sound weird, but are we dating or married?"

He looked at her quizzically and she smiled sheepishly, biting her lower lip. "We're engaged," he answered.

"T-Tell me how?"

"I asked you to marry me, that's how," he chuckled. "Are you okay? Ever since you woke up yesterday, you've been acting strangely."

She nodded, not quite sure herself. He looked at her skeptically.

"I-I need to go to the bathroom," she stammered, sitting up and running down the hall to the bathroom. She sat on the toilet and put her head in her hands. "Kumiko," Sakura called and Kumiko appeared before her.

"I trust every thing's to your satisfaction?"

Sakura looked up at the elderly lady and shook her head. "No, everything is not to my satisfaction, Kumiko. I am engaged to Uchiha Itachi! Why aren't I married to Sasuke-kun?"

"Because he's a missing-nin," answered Kumiko.

"What about Uchiha Sasuke?"

"You said that you could make him fall for you."

"Yeah, but I never expected this!"

"Well, this is what life would be like if the Uchiha Massacre never happened," Kumiko commented. "I'm sorry, but that's the way it is."

Sakura nodded, cursing her bad luck. Then, she had an idea. "May I ask you a favour?"

"Of course," answered Kumiko.

"May I have another wish?"

Kumiko seemed to be in thought for a moment then answered, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt anything."

Sakura's spirits lifted and she said, "I wish—"

"But, you still must wait," Kumiko cut-in. "It has only been a day-and-a-half since your last wish."

Sakura deflated once again.

"Sakura?" Itachi asked through the door. "Are you okay? You've been in there awhile."

"Uh—yes, I-I'm fine," Sakura stammered. "All that cake yesterday kind of got to me."

Itachi chuckled and told her, "I thought you told me last year you wouldn't eat so much the next year?"

"Uh, I guess I forgot," Sakura lied. Kumiko disappeared while Sakura opened the door and smiled apologetically to her apparent fiancé. "Um, can you tell me about the day you asked me to marry you?" she asked, taking his hand for show. "I love to hear you talk."

He thought for a moment and then started, "Well, it was near Christmas time and it was snowing. We were taking a walk to Ichiraku's and..."

_Sakura shivered and swatted at a snowflake that had landed on the tip of her nose. Itachi laughed and handed her his jacket, wrapping a protective arm around his girlfriend._

"_Won't you be cold?" Sakura asked, shivering once again._

"_No," he answered, pulling her closer. "I'm warm."_

_She blushed and took the jacket offered to her. When they got to Ichiraku's, they noticed mistletoe hanging in front of the ramen bar's curtain and Itachi stopped her._ _He took his girlfriend in his arms and gave her a light kiss on her lips. _

_She blushed even more as Itachi got on the tips of his toes and stretched up, taking the mistletoe in his hand. He handed her the Christmas ornament, trying to conceal his devilish smirk._

_Because of the light coming from Ichiraku's, Sakura saw a small glint of something from the mistletoe and she inspected further to find a diamond ring well-hidden behind one of the leaves._ _She looked at Itachi quizzically and he got down on one knee, taking her hands in his own. He asked, "Marry me?"_

_Tears welled in her eyes as she nodded and let him slip the ring on her left ring finger. A perfect fit._

_When he stood up, he asked, "Are you still cold?"_

"_No," she answered, wiping away another tear. "I'm warm now, too."_

"And, that's how it happened," Itachi concluded, smiling warmly at her.

She wiped a tear from her eye and couldn't help but think that it must have been the best engagement anybody could have ever asked for. _If only it was Sasuke-kun..._

* * *

A/N: No way! I'd be totally content—more that content—with Itachi-kun!


	8. It Started With A Mission

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter! Oh, and... HAPPY 100 REVIEWS! XD

* * *

"_Itachi, we're going to be late!" Sakura hollered, stepping into her sandals._

"_Must we go?" Itachi whined, pretending to limp into the room. "My old tennis injury is acting up."_

"_You don't play tennis, Silly," Sakura called him out on his lie._

_Itachi stood back to his full height and sulked._

"_Come on," Sakura urged, tugging on his arm. "We're running late!"_

_Itachi's knees buckled and he said, "Oh no! A sudden burst of gravity has sent me to my knees! I cannot stand! Go on without me, I will be fine! Be strong, Sakura!" Itachi exclaimed, falling to his hands as well. "Find a new love! ... As long as it isn't Naruto, he's icky." _

"_Icky?" Sakura asked with a giggle. "That is the most retarded thing I ever heard!"_

"_Retarded but true," Itachi replied, losing his exaggeratedly emotional voice for only a moment._

"_Then, why aren't I struck down by this 'sudden burst of gravity'?"_

"_It's a freak thing that will only affect Uchihas." _

"_I see," Sakura mumbled. "Well, maybe I should go check in on Sasuke and Junior then?"_

"_No!" he shouted a little too frantically, "It's only affecting Uchihas within a fifteen meter radius and, oddly enough, Sasuke's house is fifteen-point-five meters from ours."_

_Sakura sighed and asked, "What's so bad about going to this wedding?"_

"_It's not yours and mine."_

_Sakura rolled her eyes. "I guess I'll be stuck dancing with Sasuke and Genma and Kakashi, then," she stated with a disappointed sigh._

_Itachi stood, jumped into his sandals and said, "Let's go" and they left for Naruto and Hinata's wedding._

Sakura giggled as Itachi told her the story of Naruto and Hinata's wedding. It was three in the morning and Sakura had been interested in hearing more about her life with Itachi since the engagement story and Itachi was more than willing to repeat all the details.

Sakura found that Itachi was a great storyteller and he always talked about how much he loved her. She could only stare at her hands and blush. She couldn't bring herself to lie and tell him she loved him, too, when she didn't and so stayed silent.

Itachi stood and stretched with a yawn. "We should probably get some sleep, it's late."

Sakura nodded and fluffed up the pillow she used to sleep on the couch.

"You're sleeping out here again?" he asked, looking hurt.

"Um, it helps my back," she lied, pretending to stretch her back.

He nodded, not looking like he believed her one bit and walked into the bedroom where he shut the door.

Sakura sighed in relief. She'd made it through another day. She was getting closer to the day that she could make the final wish.

She knew just what she'd wish for, too; she'd wish for all the wishes she'd made to be non-existent. That way, there'd be no problems with Kun Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke wouldn't be given the death penalty and she wouldn't be stuck marrying Uchiha Itachi! Then, afterward, she could easily leave the village to find Sasuke and try and join his group. Yes, life would be wonderful.

Sakura drifted off into sleep with happy thoughts of being with Sasuke again, but her dreams were far from Uchiha Sasuke-related:

She walked down an aisle in a white dress that hid her feet and a train that seemed to go on forever behind her. Once she got to the altar, she took Itachi's hand and they spoke their vows and kissed. They were married.

She awoke with a start under a blanket she didn't remember falling asleep under. She looked around, trying to focus her eyes in the darkness until she saw Itachi sitting on the arm of the couch she was on, staring at the ground. She sat up and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

How long had he been there? Why was he there in the first place? Was he watching her sleep? What was he; some kind of creeper?

She bit her lower lip and cleared her throat, trying to catch his attention. He quickly looked in her direction, obviously just noticing she'd woken up.

She asked, "Why aren't you in bed?"

"Couldn't sleep," he answered simply, turning his gaze back to the floor. "What's going on, Sakura?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

"You have been acting oddly lately," he explained. "You won't kiss me, you refuse to sleep with me, and you act as if we don't even know each other. Did I do something to you to make you act this way?"

She sighed and said, "You did nothing wrong. It—It's me."

"You know, that's the most overused excuse in the book," he commented, chuckling bitterly.

"I'm not breaking up with you." Might as well make it a steady time here until she could make the wish. "I guess that, if you really want to know what's going on, I'll tell you. It started with a mission..."

Sakura retold her story, not leaving out a single detail and Itachi listened intently, not taking his eyes off the floor.

Once she finished, at the part where she woke up on her birthday, the two sat in silence. The story had taken two hours to retell, the sun was already showing signs of rising and it was obvious that they were both exhausted.

Itachi stood, without a word, walked down the hall, into the bedroom and shut the door. She fell onto her back and sighed exaggeratedly. Steady was not the word to describe those last two hours.

* * *

A/N: Uh-oh... Well, at least this'll make him maybe consider me! ... n.n;


	9. The Power of Suggestion

A/N: I am so sorry for taking longer than usual! See, I am beta-ing for, like, four different people so I didn't have much time, but here it is, so please don't kill me! n.n;

* * *

Itachi was a patient man when it came to his love: He was tolerant, compassionate and always gentle... well, at least he though. However, Sakura's story had made him very nervous.

A book that could grant wishes? A lady that could appear out of thin air when her name was called? It was simply impossible! When Sakura finished the story at the part where she had expected to be married to Sasuke, he felt nothing short of heartbroken.

She didn't love him; she loved Sasuke. She didn't want him; she wanted Sasuke.

Was she lying? Was she just trying to find an excuse so they could end their relationship? No, Sakura wasn't dumb enough to think that a story like that could actually work. And, from the look in her eyes, he could tell she meant every word she spoke and actually believed her story.

This worried him even more.

He found himself slowly but surely losing the appealing options. All he could think of now was one option that was very unappealing. The next morning, he picked up the phone and dialled the number for the village's psychological clinic before he left for his mission.

* * *

Itachi was on some mission, so Sakura was left alone. She busied herself with house chores, wondering what Itachi had been thinking while she spilled her greatest secret with him.

Then, she heard a knock at the door and she turned off the water that she'd been using to wash dishes. She opened the door to see a few men clad in white with kind smiles on their faces. She looked at them quizzically, waiting for an explanation.

"Haruno Sakura?" one of them asked.

She nodded.

"Why don't you come take a walk with us?" another asked.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" she yelled.

Now she knew what he was thinking. He thought she was nuttier than a fruitcake!

She ran into the house, trying to close the door as she ran, but the men caught it and chased after her. Of course, they caught her and literally carried her to the clinic, trying to drown out her screams of how she wasn't crazy and that she hadn't done anything. When they got to the clinic, a large blue building, they carried her inside and into a room where a doctor was waiting for her.

He reached out a hand to shake hers but thought otherwise when she tried to bite off his finger.

He cleared his throat and began. "Haruno Sakura, is it?"

She nodded, scowling.

"Your fiancé—"

"He is _not_ my fiancé," she spat.

"Okay then, Uchiha Itachi," he corrected, scribbling something into a folder, "Called us today, very worried about you. Apparently you believe that there's a book that will grant your wishes?"

"It will," she answered defensively.

"And a person that can appear when you call her name?" He scribbled some more.

"She's the one that writes the wish in the book."

"And how long has she been doing this for you?" Scribbling more.

Sakura calculated the time in her mind. "Six weeks and four days," she answered.

"I see," he commented, scribbling some more down. When he finished writing, he made a steeple with his fingers and said, "Here's what I think. From this little conversation of ours, I feel that you're a little insecure about being in a relationship with Uchiha-san and you came up with these farce experiences to try and escape the relationship."

"Farce?" Sakura asked. "If they're so fake why do they seem so real?"

"The power of suggestion really is stronger than people think."

Sakura looked at him quizzically.

"The power of suggestion is where your brain makes you believe what you want it to believe," he explained. "Like, in experiments, the control group is given a placebo and is told it will do something. The power of suggestion makes them feel the symptoms they were told of even though they're not real."

"Okay, so you think somebody told me this and my brain is making me believe it?"

"I'd say it's more your subconscious than anything," he answered.

"Well, it's not," she corrected. "I can show you it's real!"

"Can you? Well, I'm interested to see this."

"Kumiko," she called out to the room. Nothing happened. She looked at him and said, "It might take a moment or two for her to show up."

Five minutes later, they were still waiting.

"Well, I'm convinced," the doctor replied, writing in the book yet again. "Let's meet again, shall we?"

"No way!" yelled Sakura. "I'm perfectly sane; I don't need to see some shrink!"

"Oh, I have no question about your sanity; it's more of your lack of understanding what's real and what isn't."

Sakura rolled her eyes and left the room, storming out of the building and heading toward her home. Itachi was going to be in for a world of hurt when he got home.

* * *

A/N: ... Oops...


	10. Crazy

A/N: I want to thank Rikku92 for the awesome and speedy beta and here's the next chapter!

* * *

Itachi could feel the blood-lust radiating from the Uchiha compound from the border of Konoha and he knew exactly who it was coming from. Sakura had taken it badly. He couldn't say he was surprised, but he was definitely not looking forward to facing her at the moment.

But he might as well get it over and done with...

* * *

Sakura stormed into her house and glared at the pictures of her with Itachi in disgust. How could she smile so happily when she was with that snake?

She stopped herself before she broke the pictures and turned her anger to Kumiko. How could she embarrass her like that? Why didn't she show up? Where did she go?

_What if they're right?_ one side of her brain asked while another side said, _But that would mean she's crazy!_

"What if I am crazy?" she asked herself. "What if that power of suggestion crap is true? What if I've been hallucinating all this time?" She slammed a fist into the wall, just shy of punching a hole into it. She fell to her knees and cried.

She was crazy, wasn't she?

Then, she heard a voice behind her, "Sakura?"

She whirled around to find Kumiko. Her eyes widened and she couldn't help but take a step back in surprise.

"I am terribly sorry I didn't get here sooner," she told Sakura, smiling apologetically. "I got a little caught up in something."

"It would've been nice if you'd showed up about thirty minutes ago," Sakura told the old lady. "Now everybody thinks I'm crazy."

"Well, I'm very sorry about that," she apologized.

"Sorry doesn't help my situation!"

"Sakura...?" Sakura turned to Itachi who just walked into the room, looking at her curiously. "Who are you talking to?"

"To—" She turned to point at Kumiko, but she was nowhere to be found. "Not again!" She reluctantly turned to Itachi and said, "She was right there! The lady who grants my wishes!"

"Sakura, maybe you should get some rest?"

"No! Everybody thinks I'm crazy when I'm not!" she yelled angrily. "Watch! Kumiko, come out!" Nothing happened. "Kumiko... Come out!!" Still nothing. "COME OUT!" she screamed.

Itachi took her shoulders and told her, "Calm down, Sakura."

"No, you all think I'm crazy!" she cried, tears welling in her eyes.

Itachi pulled her to his chest and whispered in her hair, "I don't think you're crazy", while she pounded her fists against his chest.

Once she calmed down, she cried in his chest as he tried to soothe her. What was happening to her? Was she crazy? Confused? Or was Kumiko real? She didn't know anymore.

* * *

A/N: ... She's crazy, right? Say yes so I can get Itachi! XD


	11. Truth

A/N: I want to thank Rikku92 for the awesome and speedy beta!

WARNING! There's a lemon in this chapter, if you don't like lemons, please skip past it! I do not want to hear, "Ew! That's so gross!" because you have been warned!

* * *

Sakura sighed as she snuggled into the warmth of the bed she was in. She looked at the clock to see that it was well passed noon, but, unlike any other circumstance, she didn't care, she was comfy and that was all that mattered.

She was so comfortable, she didn't notice a pair of arms snake their way around her waist. What she did notice, however, was the pair of lips that somehow found their way on her shoulder. She turned to see Itachi and it all came back.

_She was afraid... she didn't know what to do. What she thought was true was tumbling down into fiction and her entire life seemed to be a mystery._ _She was so scared and she didn't want to be alone, so, in the middle of the night, she snuck into bed beside Itachi and slept with him._

Just for tonight, _she had thought._

She looked into Itachi's half-asleep face and couldn't help but smile slightly. He did look quite a lot like Sasuke. Well, the new Sasuke, anyway.

His goofy grin made her smile and the way he spoke made her feel light-headed. And, of course, all the time she'd been spending worrying about getting things back to normal made her ignore those feelings altogether.

It was like she had been living with Sasuke all this time. Then, she saw him give her that look that she knew meant he was about to try to kiss her and, this time, she didn't pull back. Instead, she welcomed the kiss, encouraged it.

Itachi pulled her closer and she gasped as his hands roamed her curves.

This may not have been her first time, but it felt like it to her. This erotic feeling in the pit of her stomach, the way she couldn't help but moan as his hands touched her, the way she felt like screaming in excitement when his eyes met hers.

Then, the night shirt she wore came off. Then the sports bra she wore under it. Slowly but surely the two were becoming more and more nude and faster and faster their hearts raced and they edged their way closer and closer to a climax.

And then it came, that feeling of wanting to be with one another until the world came to an end that one could only feel while making love.

It didn't hurt... Had this really not been her first time?

She opened her eyes to look at Itachi on top of her, his eyes wide with pleasure, both of them panting.

"I-I love you," she whispered, holding onto him for dear life. She wanted to scream it to the heavens. She wanted to tell everybody that she loved him and that he was not Sasuke, but his elder brother.

She wanted... she wanted... she wanted...

"I want to be with you forever," she said, as a tear fell down her cheek and Itachi froze, his eyes following the tears progress down her cheek.

"I made you cry," he pointed out, looking hurt.

She shook her head, smiling as another tear fell, then another, they continued to fall. "They're tears of happiness."

He smiled and fell beside her, kissing her deeply and passionately.

"I-If Kumiko really is real... I want her to let me stay with you forever."

"Even if she isn't," he replied, "I won't let anybody take you away."

She smiled tiredly and rested her head on his chest. She was in love. Oh, how wonderful it felt to be with the one she loved. And they slept again, this time neither of them feeling any fear whatsoever.

* * *

"Hello, Sakura," greeted Sasuke, sitting with Ino and Junior.

"Hi," she replied, sitting with Itachi, holding his hand.

"How are you?" he asked, his face turning to one of worry. "I-I heard about your little... er, incident. Is everything alright?"

"Every thing's fine now," she answered, sneaking a peak at Itachi who winked at her.

"Do you still... claim to love me?" asked Sasuke, looking a little awkward.

"Nope," she answered bluntly, kissed Itachi and Sasuke smirked.

"You know, if I heard you say that a few years ago, I'd probably kill Itachi right now."

She tensed and looked at him curiously.

"Do you not remember us dating?" asked the Uchiha.

She forced herself to relax and hid her surprise. "Of course I remember," she lied.

It had been a few days since Sakura had admitted her feelings for Itachi and she knew that her wish, if there was a wish, was coming very soon. She had a few questions along with her wish to give Kumiko and she knew exactly what that wish was.

"I'll go make us a snack," she said, standing up and heading into the kitchen. When she got there, she froze and scowled when she saw Kumiko.

"Hello, Sakura," greeted the elder, looking very serious for some reason.

"Kumiko," she replied, heading to the fridge to get some food to make a snack.

"I know you're angry at me," Kumiko stated. "And it's justified."

"It's more than justified."

She nodded. "I came here to tell you... the reason why I cannot be seen by Itachi."

"Only I can see you?"

She shook her head in the negative. "Anybody can see me, but I cannot reveal myself before Itachi."

"Why not?"

"He is the one that sent me to you."

* * *

A/N: ... She's hallucinating again... can I have Itachi now?


	12. The Final Final Wish

A/N: I'm sorry, Rikku92, but I couldn't wait to post up this chapter! T.T Unfortunately, this is also the final chapter, so enjoy it while you can!

* * *

"He... what?" asked Sakura, taken aback.

Kumiko waved an arm slowly over her head in a circle and a weird feeling hit Sakura, nearly pushing her off of her feet. "W-What happened?" she asked, holding her head. "That felt weird."

Kumiko opened the kitchen door and Sakura peeked into the living room to see that Sasuke, Ino, Itachi and Junior seemed to be frozen in place. "That will keep us free from any interruptions," the elder stated and turned to Sakura. "Back in the world where we first met, Itachi had approached me and gave me an ultimatum."

"What kind of ultimatum?"

"He told me that I needed to use my power to make you become close to him or he would kill me."

"I-I don't understand."

Kumiko placed her index and middle fingers on Sakura's temples and a scene played in her mind like a movie.

"_I wish to make her love me."_

"_But why would you wish to have _her_ love you?" asked Kumiko. "You're a member of Akatsuki, you can have anybody."_

"_Because... I have fallen in love with her. I was on a mission many years ago for the Kyuubi and, as soon as I laid eyes on her in the village, I fell in love with her."_

The scene disappeared and Sakura felt nothing short of shock.

"He loved you and wanted you to love him back," Kumiko explained. "And we knew that, eventually, you would wish that the Uchiha Massacre had never happened out of your devotion to Sasuke."

"But, how did you make me become a couple with Itachi?"

Kumiko's face turned to one of apology. "See, I sort of lied, there was no time limitations for the wishes."

Sakura knew that it was quite the possibility. "But, the book wouldn't open! Explain that!"

"Oh, that's a simple one; it was locked."

Sakura nearly fell face first into the ground. How embarrassing... how did she not guess that?

Kumiko carried on, "I didn't need to do anything with the Kun Sasuke wish or the Uchiha Sasuke one, but I wished that you were engaged to Itachi. And the supposed time limitations made it so that Itachi would eventually grow on you."

"So, this was all to make me fall in love with Itachi?"

Kumiko nodded.

The kunoichi scowled and said, unfreeze them, give me my last wish and get out."

"Please, Sakura, don't make everything back to normal, this was your fate!"

"Fate, my ass!" exclaimed Sakura. "You went against fate to make this happen! This is nothing anywhere near my fate!"

"But aren't you happy that I did this?"

"Just do it," Sakura commanded bitterly.

Kumiko sighed and did as told. "What would you like to be your wish?"

"I wish that I had the memories of my life in this new world."

Kumiko looked totally dumbfounded for a moment, but she wrote down the wish with a smile, said, "So it is written, so it shall be" and disappeared.

Within moments, scene after scene of her life flashed before her eyes. Visions of the Jounin dance, of the first time she and Itachi had made love, of the day Itachi asked her to marry him, of when he first asked her to go out with him, Sasuke and her dating.

She fell onto her rear, dizzy. Her head was spinning from all her new memories. She stood shakily and made the snacks and headed into the Living Room as though nothing had happened.

"You okay, Sakura?" asked Itachi. "You're looking kind of pale."

"I'm fine," she answered happily. "Just remembering all the great times we've all had together."

"And there'll be more to come," Sasuke stated.

"I'm definitely looking forward to it," Sakura replied. "And without any more of those weird spasm days of mine, they should be wonderful."

Itachi feigned disappointment and said, "But I was so looking forward to another whole week or two of no sex!"

She blushed and punched him in the arm and he rubbed the sore spot defensively. They all broke into laughter and continued on with their conversation

* * *

It was cold out. Snow had just started to fall in Konoha and little kids were running around, trying to catch the flakes on their tongues while their parents were calling after them to put their jackets on.

Just outside the village, however, a twenty-two-year-old girl sat in a gazebo, staring at her reflection in a mirror and cupped her swollen belly. She stood and let the dress fall over her feet as Ino told her, "They're ready for you, Hunnie."

She smiled nervously and stepped out of the gazebo. She walked with Ino to a clearing where several people had come together to share this special day together. The girl linked arms with her former sensei and walked to the middle of the clearing where she met another person; her husband-to-be.

Naruto, the new Hokage who had just replaced the recently retired Sarutobi, smiled at them and began the wedding ceremony.

"Haruno Sakura, do you take Uchiha Itachi to be your husband?"

"I do," she answered.

He nodded happily and turned to the groom. "Uchiha Itachi, do you take Haruno Sakura to be your wife?"

He nodded, looking at her. "I do."

Naruto's smile grew and he yelled, "Man, he's one lucky dude! Now, watch out! They're gonna be kissin' up a storm!"

Itachi took that as his cue and kissed Sakura who submitted to the kiss. Afterward, they left for a small village for their honeymoon where Sakura also had their child who they named Kumiko, after the one who secretly brought them together.

* * *

A/N: Naruto's Hokage! n.n See, if Itachi didn't kill the clan, he would have never gone into Akatsuki and Orochimaru would have never tried to get to him, so he couldn't get to Sasuke, which was one of the main reasons they attacked Konoha. So, Sarutobi just resigned!

So, I hope you all enjoyed this story and I look forward to seeing some of you in my future stories! But, for now, ja ne!

Itachilova... OUT!


End file.
